Dustin Poirier Says He Could Smell the Blood Pouring Out of Anthony Pettis’ Face

Dustin
Poirier rarely fails to deliver inside the Octagon, and
Saturday night was no exception.

“The Diamond” engaged in a memorable battle with former lightweight
champion Anthony
Pettis in the UFC Fight Night 120 headliner at the Ted Constant
Convocation Center in Norfolk, Va., winning via submission 2:08 in
to the third round. Poirier made things really difficult for Pettis
in round two, when he opened multiple cuts on Pettis’ face with
elbows from top position. From there, the bout became a bloody
mess, but the Milwaukee native fought admirably in spite of the
crimson mask that was impeding his vision.

“It was pretty gross. I could smell the blood. It was pouring out
of his face,” Poirier said on Fox Sports 1. “I was surprised he
pulled his will together and got back on top a few times. It was
crazy. We were scrambling all over. It was a lot of fun.”

Round two brought numerous grappling exchanges and transitions, but
Poirier put a final stamp on the fight in the third stanza when he
trapped Pettis in a body triangle from the back and then rolled
into mount when the Roufusport product attempted to turn. Moments
later, Pettis was forced to tap out.

“It was weird. I thought I was going to get the head-and-arm or
rear-naked choke. He was hurt and I felt the power leave him. You
know the point in a fight when a guy gets broken,” Poirier said. “I
do that to a lot of these guys. I’m a nasty dude. I love this. This
is what I live for. The talking, calling people out and acting
crazy? That’s not what I do. I fight.”

After vanquishing Pettis, Poirier believes he still has some
unfinished business to handle with Eddie
Alvarez. Their UFC 211 matchup ended in a no contest after
Alvarez landed a pair of accidental illegal knees in the second
stanza of their May 13 bout. Prior to that, Poirier appeared to be
on the verge of a finish in the first round, but Alvarez was able
to survive.

“That was an easy fight. That’s easy money,” Poirier said of
Alvarez. “That’s another win and two more checks in the bank.”

“It’d be another bloodbath, another ‘Fight of the Night,’ another
main event,” Poirier said. “That’s what fans want to see. Those are
the fights that I want to be part of.”

In his last eight Octagon appearances – all of which have come at
lightweight – Poirier has tasted defeat just once. Still he’s well
aware that a title shot requires a little more than just in-cage
performance these days.

“I don’t know. I probably have to start talking crap and writing
speeches and going crazy on social media,’ he said. “That’s what it
seems like nowadays you have to do to get a title shot.”

Regardless, Poirier thinks he has cemented his spot as one of the
top lightweights in the promotion.

“I think I’m there now. This is my 21st fight with the company.
Since I’ve been 20 years old I’ve been fighting in the company,
fighting the best guys in the world,” he said. “I’ve had a few
stumbles, but I have staying power. I’m not going nowhere. There’s
not a fight of mine that you don’t want to see. I think if I keep
doing what I’m doing you have no choice but to respect it.”